Winners never quit. Quitters never win
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And so, I was on the move again. On March 7th 2013, I was unveiled as the new Southend United manager. I had been given a two year deal on £875 per week. I also had a **** of a challenge. To get the team promoted to NPower League 1 either via automatic promotion, or the playoffs. But the board were giving me a chance, and didn't expect immediate success. But I wanted it. The two routes to league 1 were both very realistic. And judging by what player/assistant manager Graham Coughlan had been telling me about the quality of the players, we were underachieving. And it was affecting the players badly. Morale was rock bottom. There was a clear lack of determination. And I had to get the players fired up in time for the next match against Dagenham and Redbridge, which was only 2 days away.
Just before the first training session, I asked Graham to assemble the players for a team meeting. Immediate action was required. As I approached the players, the talking immediately stopped and everyone stared at me. I rubbed my hands together and began.
"Right lads. You're not in an ideal situation right now. You're on a poor run of form, not winning in 5, and the previous manager was released. To be honest, I was surprised as you were by the decision, judging by our position in the table. But, that's football. Strange things happen these days. And it's also in the past. It's time to move on. My main task with you guys, is to get you back to winning ways, and this club promoted." A few players nodded, already fired up. "I'm going to be honest with you though. I've watched footage of you, then I look at the table and wonder why you're not in the automatic promotion places. You're good enough to be there. You've already shown that. You're underachieving and that's obvious. So it's time to get some fresh ideas in place. Ring some changes. I want to get you lads back on track and make a push to get you to the next level. You're not where you should be in the table, and that's apparent. Now we don't have much time until we play against Dagenham in 2 days, so you need to work hard, get yourself focused. If I see players struggling, or unable to cope, I'm not going to shout in your faces, or throw boots around the dressing room. That's simply not my style of management. I'll give you as much support and help as you need.
"But if you still struggle come the end of the season-well, I think you can guess what'll be coming. I can't have players in the squad, you constantly require an arm around the shoulder. You have to find the belief from within yourselves, to pick yourselves up, and improve your performances. If you haven't the determination to at least try to improve things-you shouldn't be on the pitch. So this is what's going to happen. You're going to get rid of your defeatist attitude. You're going to buck up your dam ideas, and you're going to make me, the fans, the backroom staff, but more importantly yourselves proud. How are you going to do that? But getting promoted-by showing everyone, and yourselves, what you're really made of."
When the players resumed training after my Churchill-esque speech, there was a response. There was a new air of determination, and optomism. Hopefully, this would transmit itself on the pitch during match day. I did not want to lose any of the remaining games. There were still 33 points up for grabs. ****, mathematically it was still possible to nick the title. But promotion was more important to me than the title. 3rd place and playoffs were obviously far more achievable.
But almost immediately, we were pegged back to 1-1, thanks to Glenn Morriss fumbling a shot from Glen Little. Morris was quite rightly embarassed by the howler. But still, we kept to the game plan. Huffing and puffing.........without an end product. But after 28 minutes, Timlin had another shot on goal that was blocked-but then the ball took a wicked deflection off Luke Wilkinson and settled into the back of the Dagenham net. I pumped the air and breathed a huge sigh of relief. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be our night with the way things were going. I didn't care how we won the game-I just wanted to win it. If we had to, we'd grind out the result.
However, on the 81st minute, we were once again pegged back to 2-2, courtesy of a wonderful shot by Dagenhams Scott Doe. The ball was moving everywhere as it flew toward the goal and the keeper had no chance of getting to it. I even found myself applauding the shot, such was the quality. It was also a kick in the teeth to be pegged back so late in the game. And I had already used my quota of subs so that was out the question. I kicked the ground with frustration, and could also see the frustration on Graham Coughlan's face. He was probably wishing he could get onto the pitch.
There was suddenly a tremondous roar on the 83rd minute that made me jump, and I looked up, and Graham instantly stood up. The players were celebrating. It was now Dagenham and Redbridge 2 Southend United 3...I couldn't believe I missed the goal! But I still celebrated like a maniac, high fiving Graham and doing a little victory dance. It had been David Martin who had scored the goal I'd missed. This is why you should never leave the action, or divert your attention from the field of play for a second-you don't know what you're going to miss!
The last 11 minutes of the match were quite frankly-****. Dagenham were swarming forward, launching the ball into the box. Hitting the side netting. Hitting the posts and crossbar. And twice, having the ball hacked off the line. With each minute that went past I could have sworn my hair was turning white. When the final whistle went, I sank to my knees in relief then got straight back up again. We had done it-just! And kept our promotion hopes alive. And other results went in our favour. Port Vale, who were above us, had lost their match, and coupled with our win, we were now just one point of the playoffs. And only 4 points of 3rd placed Bury.
Next stop-Bristol Rovers at home in 4 days time..........................
Just before the first training session, I asked Graham to assemble the players for a team meeting. Immediate action was required. As I approached the players, the talking immediately stopped and everyone stared at me. I rubbed my hands together and began.
"Right lads. You're not in an ideal situation right now. You're on a poor run of form, not winning in 5, and the previous manager was released. To be honest, I was surprised as you were by the decision, judging by our position in the table. But, that's football. Strange things happen these days. And it's also in the past. It's time to move on. My main task with you guys, is to get you back to winning ways, and this club promoted." A few players nodded, already fired up. "I'm going to be honest with you though. I've watched footage of you, then I look at the table and wonder why you're not in the automatic promotion places. You're good enough to be there. You've already shown that. You're underachieving and that's obvious. So it's time to get some fresh ideas in place. Ring some changes. I want to get you lads back on track and make a push to get you to the next level. You're not where you should be in the table, and that's apparent. Now we don't have much time until we play against Dagenham in 2 days, so you need to work hard, get yourself focused. If I see players struggling, or unable to cope, I'm not going to shout in your faces, or throw boots around the dressing room. That's simply not my style of management. I'll give you as much support and help as you need.
"But if you still struggle come the end of the season-well, I think you can guess what'll be coming. I can't have players in the squad, you constantly require an arm around the shoulder. You have to find the belief from within yourselves, to pick yourselves up, and improve your performances. If you haven't the determination to at least try to improve things-you shouldn't be on the pitch. So this is what's going to happen. You're going to get rid of your defeatist attitude. You're going to buck up your dam ideas, and you're going to make me, the fans, the backroom staff, but more importantly yourselves proud. How are you going to do that? But getting promoted-by showing everyone, and yourselves, what you're really made of."
When the players resumed training after my Churchill-esque speech, there was a response. There was a new air of determination, and optomism. Hopefully, this would transmit itself on the pitch during match day. I did not want to lose any of the remaining games. There were still 33 points up for grabs. ****, mathematically it was still possible to nick the title. But promotion was more important to me than the title. 3rd place and playoffs were obviously far more achievable.
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Dagenham and Redbridge v Southend United
Victoria Road
I fancied my chances with this match. Dagenham were 22nd in the table, and the players were a bit inferior compared to ours. They always played a 4-5-1 formation. Initially, I was going to play the same formation, but at the last minute decided against it, as our defensive midfielder Dan Gray had picked up a slight knock. So I stuck with my favourite 4-4-2 formation, but opted to control the game with short passing and a slightly slow tempo. But the plans shortly went out the window. It was a match riddled with errors from both sides. Our short passes were failing to connect with alarming frequency, although there was some good crossing from out wide. The major positive though was the committed tackling. It was spot on-committed, but not in any way over the top. And after 6 minutes, we found ourselves 1-0 up thanks to a great strike from Michael Timlin. And it was quality. Dagenham and Redbridge v Southend United
Victoria Road
But almost immediately, we were pegged back to 1-1, thanks to Glenn Morriss fumbling a shot from Glen Little. Morris was quite rightly embarassed by the howler. But still, we kept to the game plan. Huffing and puffing.........without an end product. But after 28 minutes, Timlin had another shot on goal that was blocked-but then the ball took a wicked deflection off Luke Wilkinson and settled into the back of the Dagenham net. I pumped the air and breathed a huge sigh of relief. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be our night with the way things were going. I didn't care how we won the game-I just wanted to win it. If we had to, we'd grind out the result.
However, on the 81st minute, we were once again pegged back to 2-2, courtesy of a wonderful shot by Dagenhams Scott Doe. The ball was moving everywhere as it flew toward the goal and the keeper had no chance of getting to it. I even found myself applauding the shot, such was the quality. It was also a kick in the teeth to be pegged back so late in the game. And I had already used my quota of subs so that was out the question. I kicked the ground with frustration, and could also see the frustration on Graham Coughlan's face. He was probably wishing he could get onto the pitch.
There was suddenly a tremondous roar on the 83rd minute that made me jump, and I looked up, and Graham instantly stood up. The players were celebrating. It was now Dagenham and Redbridge 2 Southend United 3...I couldn't believe I missed the goal! But I still celebrated like a maniac, high fiving Graham and doing a little victory dance. It had been David Martin who had scored the goal I'd missed. This is why you should never leave the action, or divert your attention from the field of play for a second-you don't know what you're going to miss!
The last 11 minutes of the match were quite frankly-****. Dagenham were swarming forward, launching the ball into the box. Hitting the side netting. Hitting the posts and crossbar. And twice, having the ball hacked off the line. With each minute that went past I could have sworn my hair was turning white. When the final whistle went, I sank to my knees in relief then got straight back up again. We had done it-just! And kept our promotion hopes alive. And other results went in our favour. Port Vale, who were above us, had lost their match, and coupled with our win, we were now just one point of the playoffs. And only 4 points of 3rd placed Bury.
Next stop-Bristol Rovers at home in 4 days time..........................
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AndySams10
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Mate this is awesome, best story here in my eyes, love it. Wish my story got as much attention as yours! :S
Lol. To be honest it's not the views I aim for-just enjoy sharing the save and turning it into a story. If people like it that's cool, if not that's fair enough-won't be everyone's cup of tea. Makes the save more enjoyable too. Even if it didn't get as many views I'd just keep going.
Speaking of which there's a **** of battle taking place right now in the last two games of the season which I'm playing right now. It's pretty dam exciting if I do say so myself-though I'm trying very hard not to chain smoke my way through them!
jaythorn09
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brilliant story so far! have just ignored my girlfriend for the last 25minutes reading through this! cant wait for more!
Cheers bud.
Re: Barry Corr he left the club on a free before I got the job and by looks of it has retired as I click on his name and nothing happens.
Ahh right, he's not very good anyway, just that he used to play for Sheffield Wednesday.
The Dagenham had left me unable to sleep that night. I was buzzing, and still had adrenalin coursing through my system. But I didn't want to go through that every single match. My hair would be white by the end of the season! The next training session, there was no longer a gloomy atmosphere. A draw, coupled with other favourable results would see us in the playoffs. But there was a lot of hard work to be done by everyone at the club. But the match against Dagenham was indeed a massive positive-one I hoped would be a springboard for the rest of the season in our promotion push.
Another mistake-ridden match, again from both sides. No matter how much I had talked to the players, they seemed still to be low on confidence. And some players-looked simply uninterested. Which infuriated me immensly-safe to say they didn't make the second half. I would not tolerate such unprofessional behaviour from any of my players. And if they kept it up-they'd find themselves without a club at the end of the season. Promotion or no promotion.
Strikes from Marlon Jackson and Conor Doyle sealed the win, Mustapha Carayol with the Rovers response. More importantly though-other results went very much in our favour and we had replaced Port Vale in the playoff place, and leapfrogged Oxford. But even though we'd made it 2 wins out of 2, there were still improvements in performances needed. There were still too many missed clear cut chances that were easy to dispatch. Short passing was still embarassing to watch-so many schoolboy errors. And the tackling needed to be worked on-we were giving away silly fouls in dangerous positions.
And again we climbed the table-this time to 4th spot with Hartlepool in 3rd. But something else was happening. AFC Wimbledon (who were top) and Colchester (who were 2nd), were dropping points. AFC Wimbledon dropping them by losing, Colchester by drawing. It was like the pressure was getting to them. It happens in football though. Even if they did only draw matches from now until the end, we still probably wouldn't clinch the title. But like I mentioned. I didn't care about the title to be honest-automatic promotion was all that mattered.
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Roots Hall
Southend United 2 Bury FC 0
3 wins in a row had done wonders for the players. They were expressing themselves more on the pitch, training sessions were a lot more enjoyable. There were smiles all around. The only downside was, some players weren't getting a sniff during matches simply because of the much improved performances of the other players. It does happen. But it also keeps players on their toes. Even if a team as a whole is winning, if individually a player isn't performing, I will drop that player until I'm sure he can return to his previous form. If not-he's out the door.
Goals from Conor Doyle and David Martin assured the win for us. We didn't control the match as much as the previous encounter, but still...it was another very good performance from the players. And again there was excellent tackling, good crisp passing and constant harrasment of the Bury players. They barely got a sniff during the match. We were now on a great run of form. We had gone from 5 matches without a win, to 4 matches unbeaten. I felt I was vindicating myself once again in my abilities. But more importantly, the players had risen to the challenge of believing in themselves and proving others wrong, and themselves they had the ability to go up.
And again, teams above us had dropped points. We now found ourselves in an automatic promotion spot-for now anyway-in 3rd position. But as I've seen all too often, I knew anything could happen. It's football after all. But incredibly, as the matches wore on-the points between us and the top began to diminish. It was now 9 points with 7 games to go. It was remarkable what had happened during the past few matches. But it also showed just how competitive the division was too.
The way I saw it......we were now engaged in a battle I never saw coming. A battle for the Npower League 2 title...................
Another mistake-ridden match, again from both sides. No matter how much I had talked to the players, they seemed still to be low on confidence. And some players-looked simply uninterested. Which infuriated me immensly-safe to say they didn't make the second half. I would not tolerate such unprofessional behaviour from any of my players. And if they kept it up-they'd find themselves without a club at the end of the season. Promotion or no promotion.
Strikes from Marlon Jackson and Conor Doyle sealed the win, Mustapha Carayol with the Rovers response. More importantly though-other results went very much in our favour and we had replaced Port Vale in the playoff place, and leapfrogged Oxford. But even though we'd made it 2 wins out of 2, there were still improvements in performances needed. There were still too many missed clear cut chances that were easy to dispatch. Short passing was still embarassing to watch-so many schoolboy errors. And the tackling needed to be worked on-we were giving away silly fouls in dangerous positions.
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Sixfields Stadium
Northampton Town 0 Southend United 2
A much more efficient performance from the players this time around. We pretty much controlled the game from the off, tackled superbly. Everything went according to plan, with strikes from Byron Moore and Conor Doyle settling the match. Northampton never really came out of the starting blocks, but to be honest even if they had I suspect they still would have found it hard. We were very high in confidence right now, and it showed on the pitch. Winning 2 games previously would do that-especially if the wins come when you're not playing particularly well.View attachment 236127 v View attachment 236114
Sixfields Stadium
Northampton Town 0 Southend United 2
And again we climbed the table-this time to 4th spot with Hartlepool in 3rd. But something else was happening. AFC Wimbledon (who were top) and Colchester (who were 2nd), were dropping points. AFC Wimbledon dropping them by losing, Colchester by drawing. It was like the pressure was getting to them. It happens in football though. Even if they did only draw matches from now until the end, we still probably wouldn't clinch the title. But like I mentioned. I didn't care about the title to be honest-automatic promotion was all that mattered.
View attachment 236128
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Roots Hall
Southend United 2 Bury FC 0
Goals from Conor Doyle and David Martin assured the win for us. We didn't control the match as much as the previous encounter, but still...it was another very good performance from the players. And again there was excellent tackling, good crisp passing and constant harrasment of the Bury players. They barely got a sniff during the match. We were now on a great run of form. We had gone from 5 matches without a win, to 4 matches unbeaten. I felt I was vindicating myself once again in my abilities. But more importantly, the players had risen to the challenge of believing in themselves and proving others wrong, and themselves they had the ability to go up.
And again, teams above us had dropped points. We now found ourselves in an automatic promotion spot-for now anyway-in 3rd position. But as I've seen all too often, I knew anything could happen. It's football after all. But incredibly, as the matches wore on-the points between us and the top began to diminish. It was now 9 points with 7 games to go. It was remarkable what had happened during the past few matches. But it also showed just how competitive the division was too.
The way I saw it......we were now engaged in a battle I never saw coming. A battle for the Npower League 2 title...................
AndySams10
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I reckon automatic promotion and champions!!!
I sat in the office, looking at the Sky Sports website, studying the League 2 table. I now decided I didn't just want automatic promotion-I wanted the title. And why not? We now had a chance to take it from right under AFC Wimbledon's and Colchester's noses. They were losing ground on each other, and we were slowly but surely creeping up on them both. And it was being talked about on television, and radio phone-ins. Fans of different clubs were saying we had a chance-but only one or two pundits were agreeing with them. Which annoyed me, as it felt like a slap in a face. A bit of disrespect to not just me, but the players. They were working tremondously hard to string wins together, and deserved more praise. It was vital we won every remaining game to stay within the pack.
I have to admit when I first took the Southend role, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we'd be involved in a title challenge. Playoffs yes, automatic promotion, perhaps. But not this. I wondered what it would have been like to lift the trophy. Especially if we could lift it in front of our home fans at Roots Hall Stadium. That would just be absolutely fantastic. Get a grip man! I told myself. There's still 7 games to play! I couldn't help it though. I was allowed the occassional luxury of one dream scenario or two.
I reverted back to reality. There were, as usual, other issues that were giving me deep cause for concern. The club was in deep financial trouble now. We were firmly in the red-by nearly £500,000. No-one knew what was happening to the money. The current income was basically meaningless as it was doing absolutely nothing to limit the damage. But it would no doubt, not bode well for next season, even with TV money and award money, and sponsorship deals thrown into the mix. And it meant one thing in my mind-no transfer funds. ****** marvellous!! I said to myself. I sighed heavily. It was like a bad case of deja vu from when I was managing Hereford United. But I'd been through it once, so found myself able to cope a bit better than before.
Thankfully, our winning run continued to provide a very welcome distraction from such a major headache. And they were absolutely vital wins:
Southend United 2 Peterborough United 0
Macclesfield 0 Southend United 1
Barnet 1 Southend United 2
Southend United 4 Cambridge United 2
View attachment 236155
We had cemented our spot in the playoffs. It was a great feeling, and took a weight off everybody's shoulders. Any further progress, was a huge boost. We were 1 point away, from cementing an automatic promotion spot. But the most important thing of all, with 3 games left in the season.....we were now only 3 points off the top of the Npower League 1. And we had an absolutely massive game against Colchester United as the penultimate match of the season, at home. It was a mouth watering scenario.
But I had to ensure the players kept their focus, stayed calm and didn't let the occassion get to them. Which is easier said than done. It would be incredibly gutwrenching, if one moment of madness, or one player to lose focus during a game, that could cost us that match, and maybe the title when we had come so close. To see the hard work undone in that fashion would be.........just incomprehensible. I simply would do whatever I had to, to ensure it did not happen. It was a thought that left me deeply uncomfortable. Some players had already shown they lacked composure, determination and focus. If I had to I'd drill it into them.
Next day, I decided to watch a training session to observe the players-get a gauge of how they were coping with the new situation that had been thrust upon them so unexpectedly.
"Owwww ****!!!!" I ran onto the pitch where a small crowd had formed, and the physio bolted on to the pitch. When I got there, my face turned a bit pale. Our key playmaker, attacking midfielder Ryan Hall was on the ground, clutching his calf. He was in a **** of a lot of pain.
"What happened?" I asked. Ryan looked at me, his face twisted in pain.
"I was running then something went in my calf and that was it-think I've torn something! Jesus ****** christ it hurts!" The physio looked at me.
"Have a feeling he's torn his calf up boss. I'll get on it right away." I nodded, and Ryan was carried off for further diagnosis. This was an absolute disaster. He was a key player for us-he pretty much was our only playmaker. Without him we'd be up **** creak without a paddle. Everyone else would have to carry the slack if it came to the worst. Of all the times we had to lose a player of his quality, it had to be now. I returned to the office and banged my fist off the desk. Slumped into my chair and buried my face in my hands.
3 hours later, it was confirmed. It was a torn calf muscle, and Ryan, our best player, would be out 3-4 months.....................
I have to admit when I first took the Southend role, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we'd be involved in a title challenge. Playoffs yes, automatic promotion, perhaps. But not this. I wondered what it would have been like to lift the trophy. Especially if we could lift it in front of our home fans at Roots Hall Stadium. That would just be absolutely fantastic. Get a grip man! I told myself. There's still 7 games to play! I couldn't help it though. I was allowed the occassional luxury of one dream scenario or two.
I reverted back to reality. There were, as usual, other issues that were giving me deep cause for concern. The club was in deep financial trouble now. We were firmly in the red-by nearly £500,000. No-one knew what was happening to the money. The current income was basically meaningless as it was doing absolutely nothing to limit the damage. But it would no doubt, not bode well for next season, even with TV money and award money, and sponsorship deals thrown into the mix. And it meant one thing in my mind-no transfer funds. ****** marvellous!! I said to myself. I sighed heavily. It was like a bad case of deja vu from when I was managing Hereford United. But I'd been through it once, so found myself able to cope a bit better than before.
Thankfully, our winning run continued to provide a very welcome distraction from such a major headache. And they were absolutely vital wins:
Southend United 2 Peterborough United 0
Macclesfield 0 Southend United 1
Barnet 1 Southend United 2
Southend United 4 Cambridge United 2
View attachment 236155
But I had to ensure the players kept their focus, stayed calm and didn't let the occassion get to them. Which is easier said than done. It would be incredibly gutwrenching, if one moment of madness, or one player to lose focus during a game, that could cost us that match, and maybe the title when we had come so close. To see the hard work undone in that fashion would be.........just incomprehensible. I simply would do whatever I had to, to ensure it did not happen. It was a thought that left me deeply uncomfortable. Some players had already shown they lacked composure, determination and focus. If I had to I'd drill it into them.
Next day, I decided to watch a training session to observe the players-get a gauge of how they were coping with the new situation that had been thrust upon them so unexpectedly.
"Owwww ****!!!!" I ran onto the pitch where a small crowd had formed, and the physio bolted on to the pitch. When I got there, my face turned a bit pale. Our key playmaker, attacking midfielder Ryan Hall was on the ground, clutching his calf. He was in a **** of a lot of pain.
"What happened?" I asked. Ryan looked at me, his face twisted in pain.
"I was running then something went in my calf and that was it-think I've torn something! Jesus ****** christ it hurts!" The physio looked at me.
"Have a feeling he's torn his calf up boss. I'll get on it right away." I nodded, and Ryan was carried off for further diagnosis. This was an absolute disaster. He was a key player for us-he pretty much was our only playmaker. Without him we'd be up **** creak without a paddle. Everyone else would have to carry the slack if it came to the worst. Of all the times we had to lose a player of his quality, it had to be now. I returned to the office and banged my fist off the desk. Slumped into my chair and buried my face in my hands.
3 hours later, it was confirmed. It was a torn calf muscle, and Ryan, our best player, would be out 3-4 months.....................
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AndySams10
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Nooooo, I want more now, lol. Yeah Ryan Hall is quality, trying to sign him on my Plymouth game. Fingers crossed for next 3 games.
3 games to go in weeks. 3 teams stood in our way. Crawley Town, Colchester United and my first club I ever managed...Hereford United. This entire scenario would have made a great watch in a film. But it wasn't a pleasant experience for us. And no doubt it wasn't pleasant either for the other teams involved. Unfortunately, the pressure had got to the players. The atmosphere was very tense in training. But like I had told the players. Concentrate on getting the one point against Crawley Town first-that was most important. It would guarantee us promotion. They did that-anything else was a bonus. We had got over the shock of losing Ryan Hall at these stage of the season now. We had to move on. We weren't a one man team. It's a team. We all had to pull together.
We had been tipped by virtually every pundit now to go up. Which amplified the pressure considerably. Other managers were saying the same. We were now the centre of intense media speculation. And it was getting to me. I was now finding it impossible not to think about the last 3 fixtures. How it didn't affect some managers was beyond me. Especially at the top flight where there's a lot more pressure. I shrugged my shoulders. I'd just have to get on with it, nothing I can do about it. It's part and parcel of the game. If you let it get to you too much you're in the wrong job.
The second half began as the first ended. Scrappy. Passes were connecting well, then a player broke up play and nicked possession. It was like a game of chess. And it was driving me up the goddam wall. On the 59th minute, we were caught out by an absolute sucker punch. Crawley's CM Amdy Faye had the ball, and well-lobbed it is the only word I can think of-forward to our penalty area. At first I didn't see any of their players anywhere near the ball. Until that is, I saw Crawley's striker Billy Clark surge forward to latch onto it. The next thing I saw-the ball settled in our net.
I sunk to my knees. I couldn't believe it. We had switched off for what must have been half a second and we had been heavily punished. It changed everything in the table. When I looked up again I could see our players were devestated by what had just happened. Hands on hips, heads bowed. I felt a sudden rush of anger. "GET YOUR ARSES INTO GEAR!!!" I yelled from the touchline suddenly. "JUST FOR ONCE STOP BEING MISERABLE BASTARDS AND GET US A DAM GOAL!!!" The players that heard that paused briefly and looked at me. I honestly don't know where that came from. And neither did they. But it worked.
They started to flood forward, there were more surging runs, crosses reigning in to the box. But everything was being snuffed out by Crawley. It had to be said Crawley were defending superbly. I just didn't have a plan that could break them down. There was only 7 minutes left now plus any stoppage time. Players were weary and drained. Crawley looked a lot more comfortable in possession now. Today wasn't to be our day. But the players had shown they could adjust after losing a key player-which was heartening. And they had shown they could muster a fighting spirit. And more importantly, our striker David Martin had shown how to score an absolute blinder of a goal courtesy of a first time volley.
Our fans, me, the staff, the players went absolutely berserk. I had to be stopped from running onto the pitch by the linesman such was my joy. I didn't think we'd ever score a goal such was the quality of Crawley's defending. I looked at my watch-6 and a half minutes to go. I motioned to the players to hurry up and get back into position frantically. We couldn't afford to waste any time-everyone around us was now winning, except Burnely who were now being held 2-2 by Bristol Rovers, and Colchester United had pretty much destroyed Port Vale 5-0, and AFC Wimbledon were cruising to a 1-0 victory against Hartlepool United.
Play resumed again, and it felt like time was speeding up. Kane Ferdinand had nicked the ball from Faye, and fired a weighted pass to Conor Doyle who was lurking just outside the area. But he had to resort to passing it backward again. It was so frustrating to watch now-Crawley had every man behind the ball defending for their lives. 3 minutes left. I put my head in my hands and sank to my knees. I couldn't bear it any longer I really couldn't. It was like pass the parcel out there! Again, Doyle recieved the parcel. However this time, he spotted a gap and dispatched it via airmail-it smashed into the back of the Crawley net with such ferocity the entire goal shook for moments afterward.
We had done it-2 goals in 4 minutes had almost, ALMOST, secured us promotion. But we had to wait the remaining minutes. Once everything had calmed down I told the players to just hold onto the ball for the remaining minutes-wind the clock down and get us promoted. But they couldn't hold onto it. There was yet another Crawley surge toward our goal. Billy Clark pulled the trigger, and smashed the ball home. Only for Dan Burn to literally, throw his body into the path of the ball. It bounced clear to the grateful feet of Ferdinand. But Dan was still down. I froze. The last thing we needed was another injury.
Thankfully, he rose gingerly to his feet. Looked like he was winded and nothing more. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. He was a crucial part of our defence. He looked over at me and gave a thumbs up with a grin. I smiled back and nodded. I was shaking like a leaf now. 18 seconds left and we'd be going up. However, the Crawley fans went mental. Billy Clark had been brought down in the penalty area following a crunching challenge from Dan. I could only watch as the referee consulted the linesman. I waited. And waited. And waited. No penalty. Thank christ! I said to myself loudly.
Then the final whistle went. We had done the impossible and nicked the 3rd promotion spot from under other teams noses and were now heading for Npower League 1. It was a magnificent response from the players following the Crawley goal. All the players surged toward each other to form a huge bouncing circle in midfield, and some Southend fans managed to get onto the pitch to celebrate-before the stewards got hold of them. But recognising they weren't troublemakers just ushered them back into the stand.
Today, was probably the most nerve wracking game I have ever managed. I was shaking all over thanks to the adrenalin my body was producing. When I first took charge here, finishing 3rd wasn't even in my mind. Just playoffs. So to finish in the automatic promotion spot is just....an amazing feeling. And the players, not me, deserve every single bit of praise with how they did it today. It wasn't with flair, dazzling footwork, world class technique. It was with steeley determination, hard graft and not giving up. How football is meant to be played.
Now, there remained one more task...................................
We had been tipped by virtually every pundit now to go up. Which amplified the pressure considerably. Other managers were saying the same. We were now the centre of intense media speculation. And it was getting to me. I was now finding it impossible not to think about the last 3 fixtures. How it didn't affect some managers was beyond me. Especially at the top flight where there's a lot more pressure. I shrugged my shoulders. I'd just have to get on with it, nothing I can do about it. It's part and parcel of the game. If you let it get to you too much you're in the wrong job.
As soon as the match kicked off, we went straight on the attack. We needed goals-they could be a deciding factor come the end of the season. But the game plan quickly unravelled. Crawley were sitting back, and it was obvious what the game plan was. To hit us on the counter attack. But as the first half wore on, the game became bogged down by a midfield battle, and became very, very scrappy. It was definately not one to watch if I was honest. It's not because either team played badly. It's simply because we cancelled each other out. And results were not going our way either which was a big blow. AFC Wimbledon, Colchester, Bury, Oxford, Hartlepool....all were winning. I had a tough choice to make. Do i ring the changes, or stick with what squad was already out there and show them the faith I'd shown the past 8 matches? I decided against any changes and stuck with them. Like I said, we weren't playing badly at all. Neither team were. We needed luck. We didn't need to knock on the door to get the goals-we needed to kick the ******* down! The second half began as the first ended. Scrappy. Passes were connecting well, then a player broke up play and nicked possession. It was like a game of chess. And it was driving me up the goddam wall. On the 59th minute, we were caught out by an absolute sucker punch. Crawley's CM Amdy Faye had the ball, and well-lobbed it is the only word I can think of-forward to our penalty area. At first I didn't see any of their players anywhere near the ball. Until that is, I saw Crawley's striker Billy Clark surge forward to latch onto it. The next thing I saw-the ball settled in our net.
I sunk to my knees. I couldn't believe it. We had switched off for what must have been half a second and we had been heavily punished. It changed everything in the table. When I looked up again I could see our players were devestated by what had just happened. Hands on hips, heads bowed. I felt a sudden rush of anger. "GET YOUR ARSES INTO GEAR!!!" I yelled from the touchline suddenly. "JUST FOR ONCE STOP BEING MISERABLE BASTARDS AND GET US A DAM GOAL!!!" The players that heard that paused briefly and looked at me. I honestly don't know where that came from. And neither did they. But it worked.
They started to flood forward, there were more surging runs, crosses reigning in to the box. But everything was being snuffed out by Crawley. It had to be said Crawley were defending superbly. I just didn't have a plan that could break them down. There was only 7 minutes left now plus any stoppage time. Players were weary and drained. Crawley looked a lot more comfortable in possession now. Today wasn't to be our day. But the players had shown they could adjust after losing a key player-which was heartening. And they had shown they could muster a fighting spirit. And more importantly, our striker David Martin had shown how to score an absolute blinder of a goal courtesy of a first time volley.
Our fans, me, the staff, the players went absolutely berserk. I had to be stopped from running onto the pitch by the linesman such was my joy. I didn't think we'd ever score a goal such was the quality of Crawley's defending. I looked at my watch-6 and a half minutes to go. I motioned to the players to hurry up and get back into position frantically. We couldn't afford to waste any time-everyone around us was now winning, except Burnely who were now being held 2-2 by Bristol Rovers, and Colchester United had pretty much destroyed Port Vale 5-0, and AFC Wimbledon were cruising to a 1-0 victory against Hartlepool United.
Play resumed again, and it felt like time was speeding up. Kane Ferdinand had nicked the ball from Faye, and fired a weighted pass to Conor Doyle who was lurking just outside the area. But he had to resort to passing it backward again. It was so frustrating to watch now-Crawley had every man behind the ball defending for their lives. 3 minutes left. I put my head in my hands and sank to my knees. I couldn't bear it any longer I really couldn't. It was like pass the parcel out there! Again, Doyle recieved the parcel. However this time, he spotted a gap and dispatched it via airmail-it smashed into the back of the Crawley net with such ferocity the entire goal shook for moments afterward.
We had done it-2 goals in 4 minutes had almost, ALMOST, secured us promotion. But we had to wait the remaining minutes. Once everything had calmed down I told the players to just hold onto the ball for the remaining minutes-wind the clock down and get us promoted. But they couldn't hold onto it. There was yet another Crawley surge toward our goal. Billy Clark pulled the trigger, and smashed the ball home. Only for Dan Burn to literally, throw his body into the path of the ball. It bounced clear to the grateful feet of Ferdinand. But Dan was still down. I froze. The last thing we needed was another injury.
Thankfully, he rose gingerly to his feet. Looked like he was winded and nothing more. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. He was a crucial part of our defence. He looked over at me and gave a thumbs up with a grin. I smiled back and nodded. I was shaking like a leaf now. 18 seconds left and we'd be going up. However, the Crawley fans went mental. Billy Clark had been brought down in the penalty area following a crunching challenge from Dan. I could only watch as the referee consulted the linesman. I waited. And waited. And waited. No penalty. Thank christ! I said to myself loudly.
Then the final whistle went. We had done the impossible and nicked the 3rd promotion spot from under other teams noses and were now heading for Npower League 1. It was a magnificent response from the players following the Crawley goal. All the players surged toward each other to form a huge bouncing circle in midfield, and some Southend fans managed to get onto the pitch to celebrate-before the stewards got hold of them. But recognising they weren't troublemakers just ushered them back into the stand.
Today, was probably the most nerve wracking game I have ever managed. I was shaking all over thanks to the adrenalin my body was producing. When I first took charge here, finishing 3rd wasn't even in my mind. Just playoffs. So to finish in the automatic promotion spot is just....an amazing feeling. And the players, not me, deserve every single bit of praise with how they did it today. It wasn't with flair, dazzling footwork, world class technique. It was with steeley determination, hard graft and not giving up. How football is meant to be played.
Now, there remained one more task...................................
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Unlucky about Hall mate. I'm backing you for the title
Yeah was a bit of a sickener when it happened when it did. He's a quality player (though haven't seem him play in real life though). Law of sod strikes yet again lol
No worries lol. Currently working on the conclusion to the season right now so hopefully be up by the afternoon/early evening. Depends how stressed I get during the Norwich match lol